‘December Might Be Too Early’

Regardless of heavy hyperlinks to a short-notice title battle subsequent month at UFC 310, Kamaru Usman has claimed a December return towards the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov could come too quickly for him.

Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound primary ranked fighter below the banner of the promotion, has been out of motion since making an impromptu middleweight stroll towards the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev a 12 months in the past on short-notice

Nonetheless retaining the quantity two rank at 170lbs regardless of using a two-fight shedding run towards former champion, Leon Edwards – Usman was pushed into title rivalry in an interim title affair with Rakhmonov, with present titleholder, Belal Muhammad withdrawing from the UFC 310 headliner citing a bone an infection in his foot.

Kamaru Usman pours chilly water on UFC 310 title battle return

And welcoming the possibility to battle the Auchi native on short-notice, Rakhmonov confirmed plans to stay on the cardboard in an interim title, nevertheless, this weekend Usman has claimed {that a} potential December touchdown against the unbeaten finisher will likely come too soon for him.

You see the place I’m at – I’m getting some work in, I’m preparing if I get that decision [from the UFC],” Kamaru Usman mentioned on Pound-4-pound podcast. “However to be sincere, it’s a battle that I’ve checked out and I do know it’s positively a really winnable battle. I do know that I can, of all folks, go on the market and expose what hasn’t been uncovered in a younger, scorching streaky man in Shavkat Rakhmonov.

“He’s very gifted, he’s superb however I do see the holes and I feel that I can exploit that when that point is true… However December seventh is perhaps a bit too early for that point.”